


Catfished

by Cherry_Tea (Yogurt_Tea)



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Catfishing, Fluff, Light-Hearted, M/M, No Spoilers, Vanderwood is the person 707 goes to for advice... a poor decision honestly, all the RFA members are here, except for 707's real name, this is meant to be comical
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:20:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8742193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yogurt_Tea/pseuds/Cherry_Tea
Summary: Honestly Saeyoung really did not expect Zen to fall for it. He thought Zen would recognize him and then he would proceed to laugh at Zen in a 'Gotcha!' moment. Instead, Saeyoung got a date with a flirtatious, almost certainly heterosexual, Zen. Catfish AU where Seven poses as Mary Vanderwood as a joke to catfish Zen, but instead it backfires.





	1. Chapter 1

The current status of Saeyoung Choi? Sleep-deprived and slightly bored.  


It is late into the evening. After working thirteen hours straight, he needs something to take his mind off of work. His mind drifts, he wonders how the rest of the RFA reacted to the picture of “Mary Vanderwood” aka his beautiful selfie. Impulsively he takes his phone in hand to check. He is greeted by four messages from Zen. Saeyoung sits up a little straighter in confusion. He has no idea why Zen would send him messages but he would soon find out.

_Hey seven,_  
_I was wondering about your maid, Mary Vanderwood..._  
_I’ll just be direct with this: Is she single?_  
_and if so, does she have a Tender account?_

Saeyoung burst into laughter. Oh boy, oh boy. Tender? As in the dating app for single people desperate to hook up? This is going to be good. Even if he just told him the truth outright this second, there would definitely be some blackmail worthy screen shots of these messages. Or maybe, just maybe he should just play along and set Zen up a date with “Mary.” It is an obvious choice. Saeyoung quickly types up a message in reply to Zen.

_No problemo, I got you fam_

Saeyoung wastes no time in creating an account on the infamous Tender app. Creating the profile takes much longer than he initially thought. While there is a lot that goes into a fake identity, this is just a dating app, it shouldn’t have taken this long. He can hardly contain his excitement, even if Zen recognizes him on sight, it will still be absolutely hilarious. 

Saeyoung takes great pleasure in being able to pull off ridiculous pranks like this. There is something about being able to have someone believe wholeheartedly in something this ridiculous. Besides, the worst amount of damage it could do is embarrass Zen. Saeyoung has no desire to carry out the prank for too long, then he would risk actually hurting Zen’s feelings. But he isn’t. This is just going to be a silly joke that would last at most five days. 

It takes a total of twenty seconds to find Hyun Ryuu’s account. It is easy to tell from the endless amount of selfies posted of Zen’s face.

He is about to send a chat request, a single tap away, when another idea sprung up. He could take this to the next level; he could dress up as Mary and send a video chat request. Messing with Yoosung is fun, but perhaps it was time someone else got the sharp end of the stick. 

He’d be lying if he said he did not enjoy changing his appearance. To look in the mirror and see Luciel for one second, and then see Mary instead, is an exhilarating feeling. It’s like in the movie he watched with Yoosung, where the mutant blue girl could transform into anyone, down to the ridges of their fingerprints. Once again, pretty damn cool.

A glance in the mirror reveals Mary, except without any make up and still wearing striped glasses. Saeyoung quickly takes off his glasses to apply some eyeliner and lipstick. While it was far from the full make up that models wore, he still pulls off a pretty cute Mary. 

Saeyoung jumps into the chair next to the desk. Time for step two. He sends the video request. Now all he has to do was wait for Zen to pick up, which he undoubtedly would. 

Second thoughts started to arise in the seconds that followed. Is this really a good idea? Maybe for once he had taken things too far, maybe-

“Hello?” Zen’s face popped up on the phone of his screen “Oh! Mary Vanderwood, right?”

“Uhh, yup that’s me!” His voice cracks from the sudden switch in pitch. Saeyoung silently curses at himself for speaking normally for even a second. It was just absent mindedness that made him screw up. He could do different impressions rather easily, considering the amount of practice he has had. .

To Saeyoung’s surprise, Zen laughs.

“There’s no need to be so nervous, I promise I mean you no harm.” Zen offers a warm smile.

“Hahaha, thank you that’s good to hear.” He pauses, “So wait, are you really Zen? The talented actor Zen?” It will be better to play it safe than to try and go into different topics of talk, into anything that would lead to 707. He suddenly finds himself really not wanting Zen to know that Mary and 707 are one and the same.

“Oh! I’m surprised you’ve heard of me. You’re completely right, I am the handsome actor known as Zen, the actor given blessed with both beautiful looks and great talent.” Saeyoung tried his hardest not to laugh at his bragging. While Zen is many things, humble is not one of them.

“Dramas and musicals right?” Saeyoung smirks, this is almost too easy.

“Yeah, I honestly love being an actor. I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for acting. Even if I have to act out strange scripts, like “Promiscuous Jalapeno Topping,” I’m fine with it” Zen realizes what he just said as Saeyoung starts laughing.

“Hey! No! Everything I’ve ever acted in has been PG-13!” Saeyoung only laughs harder. Zen’s face quickly changes into something Saeyoung can only describe as flirtatious, “But, if you wanted me to, I wouldn’t mind putting on a special show for you~”

This stops his laughter dead in his tracks. Fuck. Did Zen really just say that? Saeyoung can feel his cheeks heating up, he normally doesn’t deal with this type of attention. How do you even respond to something like this?

“H-hey! PG-13! Please to god keep this PG-13! We haven’t even met yet, for all I know, you could be an impersonator planning to kidnap a cute girl like me.” 

_Smooth Mary_ He scolds himself. Saeyoung can’t just let a few flirtatious words get him all knotted up. He couldn’t understand why that got under his skin so much, but it will not be good if this keeps happening.

“Hah! I’m only joking so please don’t get so flustered, although don’t get me wrong, you’re really cute with your face flushed like that.” Zen winks, “I promise I won’t try and kidnap you, so why don’t we meet up tomorrow?” Another warm smile from Zen.

“Oh, sure.” He is most likely going to regret this later, “How about the Eldrich Park fountain at two tomorrow?” This is not a good idea.

“Sounds good!” Zen sounds so eager Saeyoung actually feels a twinge of guilt for tricking him, “Since it’s getting late, I think we should hold this conversation for tomorrow. Good night Mary.” Much to his surprise, Zen kisses the phone before hanging up.

Oh my god. Who even kisses their phone during a video chat? Saeyoung would laugh if he didn’t feel so jittery. Honestly he really did not expect Zen to fall for it. He thought Zen would recognize him and then he would proceed to laugh at Zen in a “Gotcha!” moment. 

Instead, Saeyoung got a date with a flirtatious, almost certainly heterosexual Zen. He will fix this though, tomorrow morning he’ll let Zen know Mary is nonexistent. Right now though, he just wants to sleep and not think about it. God, this prank was meant to be harmless fun, instead, it seems it’s escalating far beyond his control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After seeing the glorious AU, there was nothing I could do, the writing program was opened my hands were on the keyboard, and this fanfiction is the product of all that. Honestly I hope the characters aren't too ooc, but I tried, I really did.
> 
> And if you haven't already seen trichosirius's gorgeous art for their au... what are you doing! Seriously go check out their tumblr, high quality art there, I promise they have great stuff!
> 
> Another thing! If you liked this, please leave a review! Even a review with just "Yes good, much like." will make me smile (and probably laugh) Thank you for reading! Hope you have a lovely day!


	2. Chapter 2

Saeyoung awoke to the sound of his phone buzzing. Ugh, right when he was having a nice dream too, something about pranking Zen or of the sort. He groans and glances at the time, seven in the morning, way too early to be up. Who in their right mind would even message someone at seven? It’s common decency to wait at least until ten. He opens up the phone to see a message from Zen.

Good morning beautiful~ 

Saeyoung almost falls out of his bed. Definitely not a dream. 

Did you have breakfast yet?

Saeyoung started typing a message, trying to find the words to say, “Hey! Mary doesn’t exist, it was just a catfishing joke set up by your friendly neighborhood 707!” 

I’m really excited to see you in person Mary, I promise to treat to some of the delicious food carts around~

Zen sure knows how to make a guy feel guilty. Saeyoung quickly backspaced his entire message in room for a new one. He types a completely different message.

promises of food... consider myself sold.

It looks like he’s going on the date he told himself he would cancel. Saeyoung shut off his phone, he ignores it as it buzzes a few more times. 

He needs to think this all through. He is going to go on a date with Zen, who is admittedly, an extremely attractive person, whether on screen or in person. Saeyoung could pull off a fantastic disguise on screen, as well as with strangers, but keeping up appearances with one of the RFA members probably wouldn’t be as easy. That, or he is just over thinking and becoming paranoid. 

He turns back to the computer. Maybe getting some progress on the hacking job the boss gave him will get his mind off things. He starts up the computer and begins to work.

~~~

It works a bit too well, the next time Saeyoung looks at the clock, it reads 12:08. Five hours really does fly by when occupied. He flew out of the chair to the closet. He grabs the maid outfit and starts putting it on. He stops as he’s taking off his shirt, realizing that, unless he wants to embarrass his friend, wearing a maid outfit in public is not the way to go. 

The door to his room beeps open. Someone is here,

“What the hell are you doing?” Ah, the real Vanderwood, his kind understanding friend. Saeyoung glances at the door to see his co-worker/maid standing at the door looking mildly irritated.

“Mmm, nothing much. Say, do you think yellow or purple looks better on me?” He throws the maid outfit he was holding back into the closet and grabs the colored dresses.

“Once again. What the hell are you doing?” Saeyoung only starts humming in response, “Let me guess, you haven’t even touched the last assignment I gave you.” 

“Yeah I hear you. Yellow it is.”

“You’re impossible.” Vanderwood walks into the room from the door, “That last job is serious, if you don’t end up finishing it soon, it will be both our heads on a platter.” A trace of fear is laced in his voice.

“Don’t worry about it. I was making fair progress on it this morning. Woke up at 7 o’ clock and been working on it up to a few minutes ago.” Saeyoung starts digging through his closet again, mumbling something about the humidity.

Vanderwood visibly relaxes, “Music to my ears.” He looks at Saeyoung, taking in the situation, “Say, what are you doing? I hope there’s a good reason for the mess you’re making on the floor.” 

“Mm. Just playing a very involved prank on a friend.” 

Vanderwood scoffs, “Tell me how that ends up.” it is easy to tell he really does not care, and has little faith it will end well.

“Will do, dear buddy chum pal. Now shoo, I don’t need you glaring at me while changing.” Saeyoung made a sweeping motion with his arms towards the door to make the message clear.

“I hear you loud and clear. No need to tell me twice.” The sound of the door locking shut indicated Vanderwood’s departure.

It is sort of strange how Vanderwood left him without much of a fight, considering, this is Vanderwood we’re talking about. He shrugs it off. Despite the hostility on the surface, Saeyoung knows Vanderwood just worries about him. Or at least Saeyoung likes to think so. After all they’ve been through together, he would be quite offended if Vanderwood didn’t care about his well being in the slightest. He huffs at the thought before digging through the closet again

Vanderwood isn’t the main issue at hand. He slapped his cheeks. The catastrophe of the day is the act of Mary, and the amount of make up he’ll need for a sweltering day such as today.

But first. purple or yellow...

~~~

In the end, Saeyoung ended up wearing the yellow dress. As of now he is standing in front of the fountain, waiting. Zen still isn’t here, but it’s no surprise considering he had arrived thirty minutes ahead of the assigned time. 

He forgets how itchy these wigs can get in hot weather. It will be a pain to wear this thing the whole time, that much is for certain. The only redeeming factor it has is that if the wig slips a bit and reveals a patch of his real hair, it would be practically indistinguishable.

At this point, doubts are starting to surface. Despite spending over an hour making sure his make up is sweat proof, he could still feel his arms getting sticky and gross. It was a mistake not to wear the giant straw hat he had stored somewhere in the closet. 

God what if Zen saw through his disguise right away? Jaehee’s been able to do it before. It was at the last party Rika hosted, where he tried to dress up as Rika at the costume party. Saeyoung’s palms are starting to sweat, unrelated to the sun beating down. 

“Mary?” An all too familiar voice calls out.

Saeyoung jerks his head to the sound, a bit startled. He sees Zen waving a few meters away, wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and light tan jacket thrown on top. Needless to say, he pulls off the dressy casual a bit too well.

“Heeey, Zen.” Was that too casual for a girl going on a date with a hot guy? Definitely a bit too much Luciel in his tone. He should probably be consistent with Mary’s personality. Maybe sound more nervous? Flirty perhaps? 

Saeyoung must have been making a face because Zen gave him a strange look before replying, “You’re here early. I’m surprised, but in a good way.” He smiles. Zen’s a bit too charming for Saeyoung’s liking.

“Same goes for you, you’re here early. Which is nice, considering there is absolutely no shade anywhere near the fountain and I am literally boiling in this short sleeve dress.” Is he babbling now? He can’t really tell, but if so, definitely not a good way to start a fake/real date with a friend/potential lover.

“Oh of course! Let’s go find something cold to eat, there’s bound to be food truck around here serving something cold.” Zen’s smile is absolutely elating, 

Zen takes Saeyoung’s hand hesitatingly, before pulling ‘Mary’ to walk down one of the park’s paths. 

Saeyoung shivers. His hand is soft and warm. There is no doubt that he uses lotion daily to get his hands this soft. Saeyoung wonders if Zen’s hands smell like anything in particular. He wouldn’t find out anytime soon, after all it’s not like he could just _smell_ his hand.

Saeyoung’s heart quickens. His mind automatically starts to question why his breathing hastens and why he never wants to let go. He almost lets his mind wander into uncharted territory, to the ‘what ifs,’ and what would happen if he just let this relationship continue, how far they could go.

Saeyoung looks up from the ground to see Zen staring at him, “Is there something on my face?” His face is starting to feel flushed. Hopefully the blush creeping into his cheeks wouldn’t be too visible under the layers of make-up.

Zen laughs, “No no, not at all. Sorry for staring, it’s just hard to not stare at such a beautiful face.” Zen looks up at the sky looking a bit sheepish, “I forgot how nice it was to go on a date with a girl. I’ve been so busy with work, I wasn’t really looking. It’s kinda funny how we met through a dating app.”

“Not exactly the most romantic of first meetings.” Saeyoung snorts, the hand not holding Zen’s hand is fidgeting with the side of his skirt, “So first date in a while, or just with a girl?” Zen laughs again, it’s a sweet genuine sound could make anyone’s day brighter. Wow, that is definitely a cheesy thought.

“Just the first date in a while. I’ve never gone on a date with a guy, and I doubt I ever will.” 

There’s a first for everything. Saeyoung coughs to hide his snicker. Luckily Zen doesn’t notice, or doesn’t find it important enough to comment on it.

“So Mary, what about you? Has it been long since your last date?”

“Mm, a while back, same as you.” Saeyoung rubs the back of his neck, “Although my taste isn’t really restricted by sex or gender.” Zen’s eyes widen in surprise, “As long as they’re a generally a good person and have a sense of humor, I’m game.” 

Maybe that is too much information. Saeyoung tugs at the end of the wigs hair, he glances around looking for anything to change the subject.

“Oh! Check it out.” Saeyoung points to the small ice cream shop being maintained by a blonde girl texting someone on her phone, “Looks like we’ve found our ice cream.”

“Good eye Mary.” They walk over to the stand, the ice cream worker slides her phone into her pocket. She stares at them, waiting for them to order. 

Zen turns to Saeyoung, “What do you plan on getting?” Saeyoung can tell Zen already knows what he wants. 

Black Raspberry... Maple Walnut... Peanut Butter  & Marshmallow... Oh what to get indeed. The list of mouth-watering flavors goes on and on. He couldn’t help but read over every option, each one more tempting than the last. One reason why he normally doesn’t go to ice cream stands often is because of the decision-making. Saeyoung isn’t exactly known for his decision-making skills. He notices Zen staring at him, waiting for some type of verbal response.

“Uhhh. Still looking.” At this rate he would start drooling all over himself before making a choice, “What about yourself?” If Zen is as indecisive over ice cream as he is, they could be here for quite a long time.

“Probably plain Black Cherry.” Zen pulls his hand away from Saeyoung’s, Despite the humid weather, he feels a bit colder. Saeyoung turns to look at him as to see Zen just taking out his wallet. 

Saeyoung notices the ice cream lady looks rather happy. Most likely from a text on her phone containing good news. It is a nice change from the normal sleep-deprived, teenage workers on minimum wage ready to die at any given moment.

“Hello! What can I do for you today?” she’s absolutely beaming, Saeyoung hopes she’s not one of Zen’s fans. After all the work he put into helping Zen rise to fame, he would hate to be the one to drag his reputation down for a prank. 

Zen smiles back at the worker. “Good afternoon, could I have a regular Amaretto Black Cherry scoop with nothing on top?” Saeyoung blinks in confusion. Amaretto? As in the alcohol? 

The girl is completely unfazed, “No problem mister.” She even winks, “What can I get for this sweet lady here?” Definitely not one of Zen’s fans. If she was, Saeyoung probably would not be standing unscathed.

“Hm. Well maybe... No wait... perhaps...” He crosses his arms. “Blackberry Cheesecake with salted caramel drizzle?”

“Ooh! Good choice, sounds like something I would get if I could. Just gimme a minute to get that order.” 

They watch as she run around excitedly, getting their ice cream in record-breaking time. She then hands them their respective ice cream cones.

“You two enjoy yourselves! Platonic or romantic, ice cream is always a good time!” She smiles as Saeyoung takes both ice cream cones in hand and Zen pays She even waves them off. Definitely not the normal actions of a person working on minimum wage.

Saeyoung gives him a questioning look as soon as they’re out of earshot of the ice cream worker, “Amaretto ice cream? Really? I mean, I should have expected it, considering how much you love beer and all but still.” He hands Zen his ice cream.

Zen smirks, “Don’t worry I’m not a light-weight drinker. Besides-” he gives it a lick, “-this is extremely diluted.”

“It’d still probably be enough to get Yoosung drunk.” Saeyoung snickers at his own joke. Zen freezes for a second before giving a semi-forced laugh.

Before Saeyoung can ask what’s wrong, Zen’s phone buzzes. He takes it out and groans, “Director just texted me, apparently something absolutely critical happened and I need to be over there ASAP. I am so sorry to cut this date short.”

“Don’t sweat it. You shouldn’t risk the job you love for a date with a person you barely know. Besides, you paid for the ice cream, this makes us even”

“Thanks Mary! I promise I’ll make it up to you next time!” Saeyoung watches as he runs off, slightly miffed at timing of the director’s texts.

As soon as Zen is out of sight, Saeyoung almost wants to bang his head into a wall with how cheesy this whole date was. A walk through the park? Eating ice cream together on a bench? Cheesy as hell. Straight out of a rom-com film. Absolutely 100% something he never thought he would do, and actually enjoy. 

Well, at least they didn’t share ice cream. There is no doubt Saeyoung would have made a joke about indirect kissing. There is also the thought that Zen may have offered a more direct method.

He snaps his thoughts back. It’s just an aesthetic attraction, he rationalizes. Zen is undoubtedly a beauty to anyone with eyes and a single brain cell. Close proximity to anyone will cause a person to become nervous easily. The symptoms of a crush can easily be mistaken from being nervous. His breathing evens out, as he finds comfort in that explanation. It is much more comfortable than the alternative. The alternative that he’s fallen for Zen.

Although, Saeyoung admits, he wouldn’t mind holding hands with Zen again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eurgh I am so sorry, most of this chapter is just filler. I'm not too happy with how this chapter ended up. However I do have some semblance of plans for the future that should be much more interesting :3c
> 
> Another thing, until Christmas break, two weeks from now, I doubt I will be write much more for this fic... Hopefully you can understand the never ending joys of homework and tests. :) (don't get me wrong, I love writing for this, but BOY this takes some time to write)
> 
> If you enjoyed this as of far, want to leave a suggestion, or just want to leave another "yes good, much like", leave a comment! I always enjoy hearing feedback on what I've written. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! An update! Longest chapter written by far. Hope that makes up for the time you've been waiting. Gotta say, I didn't expect to take this long to write this chapter, but it's here! Thank you for all the loving words given. It really helped me to get this chapter churned out! Enjoy!

Sleep.

Sleep is hard to come by.

Sleep is hard to come by when your mind is filled with thoughts of a silver haired beauty.

His muffled screams can be heard through his pillow. This prank is not something to lose sleep over. It wouldn’t be so frustrating if he hadn’t been up this late into the night hacking. He is completely exhausted and yet he still can’t sleep. At this rate, there isn’t much doubt he wouldn’t dream about Zen. They say the more you think about something or someone, the more likely it is they will appear in your dreams. If he didn’t make this whole fake-dating thing this complicated, then he’d already be sound asleep. He has only himself to blame.

He needs to get his mind off this whole mess. He clicks on his phone and lo and behold! His two good buddies Jaehee and Zen are online and chatting. At 5AM in the morning. Of course. Why not.

**707 entered the chat room**

ZEN: I can’t believe the director called me on my day off...

ZEN: It turns out he texted me by mistake and meant to text someone else, making the whole journey pointless.

ZEN: I had to ditch my date early all because of it!

ZEN: I mean, I am really grateful to have this role, but interrupting one of my few days off??

Jaehee: Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. And did you say a date? Do you mean simply meeting up with an old friend?

ZEN: it was a romantic date with seven’s maid Mary. i have to say, she is quite the charmer

Jaehee: I understand you wanting to be in a relationship with another person, but this has great potential to damage your career.

Jaehee: What if a scandal gets out? It would be poison to your reputation as an actor. It could ravage and destroy all that you’ve worked so hard for. I worry about you Zen.

ZEN: Jaehee, I’m touched you care so much but I understood the consequences of it when I asked her on a date.

ZEN: it is not just me wanting to be in a relationship either. well it was at first, but now? Mary was completely understanding when I had to go, it makes me think I could actually be in a relationship with someone and not worry about choosing my job or a relationship.

Jaehee: I’m sincerely just worried about you and your career. I am also concerned who this Mary is, I have not heard of Luciel ever having a maid.

Saeyoung flexes his fingers, right about now would be a good time to jump into the conversation. Zen and Jaehee questioning the existence of Mary Vanderwood is listed under the definition of “not good”. He should just push in a joke or two, go into the cheerful 707 persona, and forget about the complicated feelings of the morning.

707: hey hey~!

707: since when did I say i didn’t have a maid? are you sure? Mary Vanderwood the third? ring any bells?

Jaehee: No, you have never mentioned her before.

Jaehee: I didn’t realize you were in the chat room.

707: ya don’t worry i didn’t miss you two ignoring me T_T

707: but a date!! zen going on a date!! with none other than my maid mary!!

ZEN: lol yeah, although I have to say, I’m a bit jealous you have such a beautiful maid...

707: she’s cool. saves me time cleaning around the house

707: but you know, if you want....

707:I can be your maid~

ZEN: No.

707: Say the word and I’ll be right over master~

ZEN: Don’t come.

Saeyoung huffs. So much for Mary being “beautiful” and “understanding.” He knows for a fact if Mary said this, he would definitely get a much different reaction. On second thought, maybe it’s good he isn’t Mary right now.

Jaehee: Ah. I need to get ready for the day. Zen, please just consider the consequences, I don’t want to see you getting hurt.

ZEN: Thanks Jaehee. don’t worry too much, and good luck with your work

Jaehee: Thank you. Goodbye.

** Jaehee Kang has left the chat room  **

707: Zeeen~ seeing as you are dating my co-worker, tell me, what do you think of her?

ZEN: Mary? She seems to be a sweet charming person from what I’ve seen of her.

ZEN: But I have to ask. Does Mary know about the RFA or any of the members?

This is a sudden change of topic. Suspicious. Since when would Zen start asking for input from others, other than compliments? Especially after going on a date with the beautiful nonexistent Mary? From what Saeyoung has read in the 36th volume of “How to be a Playboy” people with crushes on others tend to ramble on about the subject of affection at first, and only afterwords begin to inquire about them. Unless they are suspicious about something.

Saeyoung quickly starts to flipping through the memories of the previous day, trying to root out anything that would provoke this line of questioning. It all seemed fairly normal, Zen didn’t act strange at all throughout, well except when he brought up Yoosu-.

Oh. Well. That would explain it.

ZEN: hello? anyone still there?

707: ahaha just asking Mary if I ever mentioned the RFA to her. I tend to ramble a lot to pretty much anyone willing to listen.

ZEN: Are you really the person we should be trusting to keep the RFA secrets;; -__-

707: Aw don’t worry about that, anyways she says “Yup, you always tend to bring them up, especially Yoosung and Zen.”

707: so theres your answer

707: yup

ZEN: Alright. I guess I was just being paranoid.

707: Defender of Justice 707 to the rescue!!!! Saving not-so-innocent lives from being paranoid and untrusting!!!

ZEN: -__-

ZEN: I need to go start my day.

ZEN: Bye.

**ZEN has left the chat room**

Looks like he offended the narcissist he may or may not be dating. It is unbelievable how different Zen is depending whether he is talking to Mary or Saeyoung. And seeing how easily Saeyoung let it slip he knew of Yoosung’s low alcohol tolerance, it seems that it might be time to pick up a different mindset.

During trying times like these, he needs advice.

~~~~~

“Advice for a relationship? Break it up and get back to work.” Thanks Vanderwood, “Oh, and next time you call me for something stupid, I swear to god I’ll come over there to knock some sense into you.” The phone clicks off.

Great, his only source of advice outside of the RFA is gone now. The only other person he could ask for advice is his good friend Tom, but Tom won a lottery trip to Hawaii and won’t be back for a few weeks and international calls are expensive. So that option is out the window.

He spins in his chair. He’s the Defender of Justice 707, a secret agent hacking globally. He should be able to keep his life and a persona separate. Last time was just a mistake of being too comfortable and casual, basically the way he normally acts around Zen. Next time he wouldn’t screw up, he’d be the charming Mary who is in no way suspiciously similar to 707.

Speaking of next time, he should probably contact Zen for the next time they meet up. Saeyoung opens the messenger installed on the phone, separate from the RFA’s.

Now let’s see, the last time Mary interacted with Zen, it was waving goodbye holding blackberry cheesecake ice cream, wishing him well on the sudden call from the director. So what he should send is pretty easy to figure out. Only thing to do is sound less like himself.

 Hi Zen! I hope everything went well with the director, it seemed pretty urgent so I can only hope you’re not suddenly finding yourself buried in work. But it also got me wondering, since this date got cut off early, would you like to reschedule another time to meet-up?

Now to just wait, he’ll take the bait. Maybe now would be a good time to get to work. While he’s never actually failed to keep up his work, he doesn’t want to find out if Vanderwood’s threats do hold weight.

His mind is lost in work when the phone buzzes to notify a new text. His hand automatically reaches for the phone to read the new message.

_Mary, it’s good to hear from you. sorry for not responding sooner, I’m on my lunch break right now. And about yesterday....it turns out that the director called me by mistake... and I hate to say this, but I’m rather busy. I get off late, and have to practice the revised lines, so I won’t be free for a while..._

Saeyoung tried to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment. That is to say, if this negative feeling stemming from not being able to see Zen could be called disappointment. Disappointment from his plans not working, that must be what it is. Wait, maybe there is a way around Zen’s schedule.

_Oh, I’m sorry to hear you had to go on a wild goose chase. And about your busy schedule... One of these days I could meet you once you finish, walk with you on your way home and then leave you to go practice your lines. I just want to see you again, our last date was cut short after all._

_If you would be willing to, I would love that! <3 Next Saturday could you meet me at ***** Studio at 17:00?_

_Yup no problem, see you in 4 days!_

Great, he set another date with Zen at 5 in the morning. If he doesn’t want to fall behind on all his work, he’ll have to get started right away. That, and he’ll go through the entire dilemma of yesterday all over again. Yellow or purple....

~~~~~

He ended up wearing a casual outfit of jeans and a forest green jacket. After all, if he was meeting Zen by the studio, it would not be the best idea to be seen dressed up for a date and leaving up with the studio’s most gorgeous actor.

It is a forty minute trip by bus to reach the studio. He would have taken one of his beautiful cars if he wasn’t overly paranoid that Zen would recognize them to be Saeyoung’s. While he could just fib his way out, it wouldn’t work if Zen pieced the clues together. The lie that 707 would let his maid take one of his most prized possessions would be seen through immediately. It is only when Saeyoung gets off the bus that he realizes he forgets to actually set a place at the studio to meet Zen. It’s not like those places were small after all. He sent a few texts to Zen but he hasn’t responded, he fears Zen may have left his phone at home.

Saeyoung ends up standing next to one of the exits of the studio in the off chance that it would be the exit Zen would come out of. He stands arms crossed, feet pushed together as if to take as little space up as possible. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take out his phone and read over the previous chats to pass time, and he does just that for a bit, only glancing up when someone leaves. Quite a few people are entering and exiting the building, but nobody he recognizes. He only grows more jittery as some of the people leaving the building stare at him for a few seconds before losing interest. The odd looks of strangers and awkward eye contact is never a comforting thing.

This continues for a while. He clicks his phone on and off eighteen times, each time scrolling through the words of Zen and Jaehee from earlier in the day. Jaehee’s words still nag at him. He still has no idea what the hell he is doing waiting outside the studio for a date with Zen. The line between “just messing with someone” and “seriously messed up” is getting pretty blurry. Wherever he is, he is certain he is toeing the line of taking this too far.

“Excuse me. Miss?” Saeyoung glances up from his phone to see a middle-aged woman addressing him, “Are you one of Zen’s fangirls?”

Saeyoung snorts, “Nah. Although I need to collect twenty bucks from him over a bet. Do you happen to know where he is?” This exact lie got him inside Yoosung’s university twice. Although it might not be nearly as effective here as at a college.

The woman gives him a skeptical look, “Look darling, if you aren’t here for professional reasons, you have to get off the property. Security reasons. I’m sure that if you can make a bet with one of our actors, you can collect it somewhere else.”

“My man, Zen has been avoiding me for the sole purpose that he lost the bet. This is the best chance I got to reclaim my dues, couldn’t I just stick around for another ten minutes?”

The woman is starting to lose patience, “I’ve heard plenty of excuses for stalkers around here. Although yours is more original then the typical excuse I get, I still can’t just ignore it. I’m sure neither you or security want to waste time escorting you off property.”

Saeyoung is about to say something stupid to get into more trouble, when his phone starts dings with a notification of a new message. It’s from Zen. He sighs in relief and smiles at the irritated woman, “Aight ma’am, I’ll just collect my dues sometime later, he can’t avoid me forever.” He skips off. If Zen responded, he can just ask to meet elsewhere.

Once off the private property of the studio, Saeyoung looked down at his phone.

Mary! Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to check my phone up until now. I got caught up talking with one of the writers. Anyways where are you?

Saeyoung types up a reply: Just at the gas station nearby the studio

OK, stay there I’ll be right over.

Less than five minutes later, Saeyoung spots Zen waving to him, “Mary! There you are. So sorry to keep you waiting for-” he checks his phone, “-forty minutes?” He looks horrified, “I am so sorry Mary! Even after you were so understanding last time.” Zen drifts off, he’s staring directly at Saeyoung, unnerving him a bit.

“I’ll forgive you. You’re here now and as long this doesn’t become the norm, I’m chill with it.”

Zen’s shoulders relax, ”Thank you for understanding. While I know the original plans were just to walk home, it would be nice if you wanted to help me study my lines with me.” Zen puts his hands together and looks at Saeyoung with a pleading face.

Since Saeyoung is a person who always plans ahead and certainly does not make decisions in the moment, he responded, “Sure. I’d love to.”

Saeyoung laughs cheerfully as if he is not extremely nervous. Going to Zen’s house to practice a romance script, that means there is almost certainly going to be flirting. Romance is pretty much tied into teasing and physical contact, both things Saeyoung is not used to. He’s usually the one teasing others, and he’s not used to physical contact from others. This is a recipe for disaster.

“Great! Let’s get going then. By the way I love your outfit, casual suits you. ” Zen starts walking “Your hands must be cold from waiting outside so long, here.” Zen takes Saeyoung’s hand, not missing the blush creeping up on the redhead’s face.

Saeyoung tries to get his mouth to form words. He mentally smacks himself for getting so embarrassed over simply holding hands, “So uh, how was your day?”

“Pretty exhausting actually. There was an error in printing the script previously, and I got one of the unrevised copies. Other than that, the day was normal.” He put a finger on his chin as if trying to think of anything else, “Oh wait, one more thing, I think one of the other actor’s might have a crush on me. Although I suppose it’s pretty common.”

“I don’t blame them.” Saeyoung muttered.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“N-nothing! Just how I feel sorry that they have crush of a gorgeous narcissist.”

“Can you really blame them for falling a face like this. Not to mention I play the role of the romantic gentleman wonderfully.”

Saeyoung snorts, “Alrighty then, if romantic gentlemen leave their date waiting in the cold, then you would fit that description perfectly! But since your date is a very forgiving person, it will be forgotten!”

Zen’s grip on Saeyoung’s hand loosens, “I really do feel sorry about that. I know I am being unfair being busy all the time, and I know that going to my house to study the script isn’t as romantic as a dinner. But I do treasure spending time with you.”

Zen isn’t supposed to react so seriously to that, Saeyoung is only joking around. Saeyoung’s free hand tugs at the hoodie string, unsure how to respond. They walk in silence, still holding hands, for the remainder of the walk. They approach Zen’s apartment.

“Here we are.” Zen separates his hand to unlock the front door, letting Saeyoung in first.

Saeyoung fidgets off his shoes off, “It’s a nice apartment. And fairly clean.” he hesitates, unsure if he should continue talking, “I’m sorry if I was insensitive in any respect, I wasn’t seriously upset about you being late or anything. I was just teasing.”

“Oh no no, you haven’t done anything wrong. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have someone as forgiving as you.” Zen gives him a heartfelt smile that would make anyone’s heart beat faster. “So Mary, what do you say to starting practice?” The tension in the air dissipated

Saeyoung grins, “I’d be happy to help my dear sweet lover with anything he oh so needs.”

It is so much easier for Saeyoung to revert to teasing. It keeps a light atmosphere, avoids heavy topics and most importantly avoids romantic airs.

“OK, since I have a beautiful lady here to help me, we’ll do scene thirteen. Don’t worry, you won’t have to memorize anything, I just need someone to evaluate my acting.” Zen gestured for Saeyoung to sit on the couch.

“Aight, lay it on me.” Saeyoung winked. He is fairly certain Zen wouldn’t try anything funny, but if he did, it would prove the perfect excuse to end this whole fake dating mess.

Zen clears is throat, he closes his eyes to collect himself. The room is in partial darkness, with only fading sunbeams streaming from the windows. Zen opens his eyes suddenly, a completely different expression on his face. Intense, staring directly at Saeyoung.

“You’re the only one for me. The way your smile makes my heart aflutter, your laugh gently whisks my soul away and the way you look at me with your angelic face.” the words would have been laughable had not Zen said them with such conviction and with eyes locked on him

“I couldn’t dream of being with anyone else, as much as I couldn’t bare to see you with another man. They only want to take you away from me and use you for themselves. Please look only upon me, I will give you all I have, as long as you stay by me.” Zen took it a step further. He closed the distance between and took Saeyoung’s face into his hands.

“My lady, the light of my life, what is your response?”

Zen is quiet, only giving him the sweetest softest gaze. Saeyoung doesn’t know if he expects a response, and if he himself can trust whatever response he gives. Zen’s soft hand against his face doesn’t help his already dizzy mind. It smells of a rosy fragrance most likely achieved through some lotion. His heartbeat echoing frantically in his ears, impairing his way of thought.

It’s too much. Saeyoung jerks away from Zen’s hand, “H-hey! I need my personal space! You can’t just say we’re going to go over a script and then do stuff like that!” He huffs and turns away, more frustrated with himself than Zen.

Zen immediately backs down, “I didn’t realize it would make you so uncomfortable... Do you want to just watch the news while I memorize the rest of my lines?”

“Sure, I guess. Sounds good.” Saeyoung seated himself on the couch, still not looking directly at Zen. The moment between them was gone.

Zen flops himself on the couch beside him and flips on a news channel. The woman on screen is talking about a local suicide of a politician’s cousin. Neither of them pay attention to the screen.

These emotions, they couldn’t lead to anything good. It’s too late to cut off the relationship without hurting his friend’s feelings. He’ll just have to show Zen that this is a relationship that wouldn’t work. First he would need to make Zen prioritize other things over their relationship. After that, Zen would realize how little it meant, and they’d slowly drift away without hurting each other. It’s a simple plan Saeyoung came up with on the spot, but he can’t see any fault in his thinking. He just needs to put his thoughts into action.

Saeyoung turns to face Zen, “I’m sorry if I overreacted. I can tell your acting means a lot to you. You don’t need to feel guilty over your dedication or your busy schedule. You just need to promise not to put your career on the line for me.” Saeyoung holds up a hand to prevent Zen from interrupting, “Neither of us know how long this relationship will last, don’t screw up something permanent for something temporary.” There, he said it. The rest will just need to fall int-

“Mary,” Zen’s face is serious, “Listen Mary, I hope you’re aware I’m not looking for a short term relationship. I want someone who I can enjoy the good times with as well as well as the bad. If you’re looking for a short fling, I’m sorry but I won’t be able to provide that.” It isn’t a question, but Saeyoung knows he is looking for an answer.

What causes Saeyoung’s response confuses himself. It is the response that could only lead him down an even more confusing path. It is the exact opposite of what he had in mind starting out.

“Don’t worry Zen, I’ll stay by you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Just want to let you know the next chapter might not be up for a while. A lot of projects, papers and exams are being thrown towards the end of the year. I promise not to give up on this fic, and if I ever do end up dropping it, I will be sure to let you guys know. Thanks for reading! I hope you have a lovely day today!


	4. Chapter 4

Zen sits in his house alone, lost in thought. Mary left about an hour ago, saying that she needs to get to work at Seven’s place. The evening was great, it just left a few questions in his head. He feels there is something crucial that he is missing.

Zen likes to think of himself as observant, and experienced in the field of romance. Yet this relationship seems to be exactly what he expected and not. They were both enjoying each others company with flirting mixed in, but something seems to hidden below the surface that he can’t detect. In a romance sitcom, there would be cheating involved, a secret twin, or even a murderer.

When Zen had practiced his lines on her, he got a little bold. Mary acted as if he was a pushy guy who didn’t understand that the girl wasn’t interested. Yet when she promised to stay by his side as a lover, he could see in her eyes she meant every word. It is odd. It’s almost as if she wants to be lovers, but feels that it would be wrong to breach the line of friendship.

But that wouldn’t make sense, as far as he’s aware, she has no reason to be afraid to be lovers. Perhaps she has intimacy issues? She may have come out of a bad relationship and afraid to be close to another. But if that is the case, why would she let Seven give her contact info to him?

And then there is another thought that bothers him. When he held Mary close, she smelled of something artificial and sweet, some part of it obviously perfume, but another part of it definitely not perfume. What is worse is that he knows that he has smelled this scent before. And yet it is impossible, how could he recognize it if he had only met her recently? It must be his imagination, otherwise how else would he explain it?

If only he could place where he knew the smell from, he may have been able to take a step closer to the truth. Alas he stumbles upon his thoughts and is unable to understand the two clues given to him.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Zen opens up the messenger. The sight of Seven spamming the chat-room is unsurprising.

707: I’m dying

707: I’m mentally and physically dying

707: It’s overrrrr my lifeeeee its goneeeee

707: Will my one true love come to comfort me?

_Zen entered the chat room_

707: ...could it be??

ZEN: No.

707: not even Zen will give me sympathy T_T

ZEN: You don’t even explain what’s wrong. If you want sympathy you need to at least give a reason for it. -_-

707: After a long exhausting day, I’m expected to slave away all night with only my family of empty honey buddha chip bags for company...

Zen pauses, a thought occurring to him. That artificially sweet smell... could it be?

ZEN: Hey, does Mary eat any of your chips?

707: Wow. Talk about cold, here I am telling you about my woes and all you can think of is my sexy maid. you’re so mean Zen~

ZEN: Just answer the question.

707: I’m so hurt Zenny-poo, at least my work doesn’t stomp on my feelings.

Why does he get the feeling Saeyoung is trying to avoid answering the question? While Seven is usually annoyingly obtuse, this feels slightly more intentional. Seven shouldn’t have anything to hide, unless...

ZEN: Hey Seven, have you ever had a relationship with Mary?

The response is almost immediate

707: No way! You think I have time for something as frivolous as a relationship?? Work is the only relationship I’ll ever have. Not to mention mary is sooo not my type.

707: There is only room for one redhead in my ideal relationship! And that redhead is me!

707: And since you seem suspiciously hung up on Mary eating my chips, I’ll answer your question. I have no idea. I’ve been missing a couple bags, and I’m still not sure if its Mary, Yoosung. or Vanderwood who is stealing my chips. But whoever it is... WILL PAY!!!

The chat is then spammed with countless 707 emojis. Zen exits the chatroom, finding himself more annoyed than usual with Seven’s antics. He does wonder why Seven referred to Mary and Vanderwood as two separate people though. Could there really be a secret twin involved? No. No that would be stupid. It was probably just a mistake, Seven never really seems to think before typing. Even so, a part of him still wonders.

His phone pings in his hands with a new notification. Checking it reveals that MC has the finalized date of the second fund-raising party. It appears the next party is alarmingly soon, next week in fact. The message reveals that she wants to have a small party just like the first on. After all, she is still trying to get the hang of managing all the aspects of the party that Rika was in charge of.

He sighs. Looks like the RFA will have to find even more people to invite. Zen doubts the guests who came to the party a month ago want to come to another one so soon. He could try inviting Mary, but would inviting a maid be alright? Wait, now that he thinks about it, Seven invited his friend Tom one time and it was fine.

He types a reply to MC, asking her to invite Mary and giving her Mary’s contact info, (which is her text info, as he does not have anything else). He adds a little tidbit that MC should be informal in her invite, as Mary doesn’t strike him as the type to want to go to a stuffy party.

MC responds almost immediately, saying that she’d be sure to invite her with open arms. Satisfied with her response, Zen shuts off his phone. Getting up from the cozy couch, Zen decides to start preparing for bed. After all, an actor like him needs his shower and beauty rest, (even if he is a night owl).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, MC gets to work. She checks the address again before sending the text to Mary

MC: Hiya! I’ll keep this short, but the RFA is planning a party next week on the 17th at 18:00 and I was hoping you could make it. Would you be free then?

It takes a minute or two before she gets the response.

Mary: Huh?? Of course I’ll be going MC! it would be ridiculous if I didn’t go after all!

Odd. MC believes she hasn’t said who she is or anything of the sort. And the overuse of exclamation marks seems overly familiar. MC decides to probe further.

MC: Lol, I guess so. Just a formality at this point, I decided to send emails to everyone this time around, heck I should send an email to Jumin’s cat at this point.

Mary: Oh please do! I’d love to reunite with dear sweet Elly!!

That is definitely off. There is only one person she knew who referred to Elizabeth the 3rd in that manner. This calls for the big guns

MC: OK Seven! Do you want me to invite your friend Tom again as well?

Mary:Hell yeah! It’s never a party without Tom!

MC leans back in her chair and takes a deep breath. What in the fresh titty is going on here? This account she is texting isn’t 707’s, and yet he is the one texting behind the screen. She immediately texts Zen, asking him to double check if he sent the right number.

Zen replies that it is.

Alright. This is fine. This is absolutely one hundred percent ok and not completely bizarre in the slightest. What should she do next?

>Wait to gather more clues

>Tell Zen he’s wrong

**> Confront 707 about Mary**

Confrontation it is. MC’s history of confronting people is minimal at best, and yet she is dying of curiosity of what is happening. This mystery cannot go unsolved. She types out another text

MC: Well, Mary, I’m so glad to hear that you and Tom can come! :)

Mary: Oh.

Mary: Ohhhhhh noooo

Mary: Oh my god

Mary: MC let me explain!

Mary: It’s not what you think!! I promise!!

MC: I’m listening, and you better have a good reason for this.

The conversation then devolves into Seven explaining the events of the past few days, and how a harmless prank spiraled into the situation happening now. It takes a minute or two for MC to stop laughing to type up a reply.

MC: Oh my god, I have never had such blackmail worthy information before

Mary: Don’t you dare.

MC: Lmao don’t worry, I just have one tiny thing to ask of you in return for not telling Zen immediately. Either you have to go to the RFA party as both Mary and 707, or just straight up tell him the truth.

Mary: Why do you have to be like this;;;;

Mary: And I accept your Terms and Conditions™. Now shoo, the great defender of justice has loads of self-loathing and work to do.

MC snorts at her phone. Her ‘favor’ forces 707 to either man up and tell Zen, or run around like an idiot trying to play two people. While she did give him the option to try and be two people, she seriously doubts that he would actually go that far to hide his dual identity. After all, this did start out from a prank, there is no way he’d do that. He would have to be hopelessly in love with Zen to do that.

Hah, that’s laughable, 707 in love with Zen. Although she wonders what would happen if he did decide to play two people.

She chuckles. Nope, no way that would happen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great. What a great mess Saeyoung has dug himself into. Making a promise he couldn’t possibly keep seemed like such a great idea three hours ago.

Saeyoung grumbles under his breath as he works on his recent assignment. Zen and the party could be put on hold for now, he’d worry about that can of worms later, when he doesn’t have Vanderwood breathing down his neck about how he is falling behind on work. He cracks open a Dr. Pepper, this would all work itself out in the end.

Just masquerade as two people, how hard can it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rise from the dead to present *drumroll* an update!!  
> After all it's only been *checks watch* 5 months.....god I am so sorry to make you guys wait so long for an update;; I promise the next chapter will be longer than this one, and hopefully won't take nearly as long to update. (also if any of y'all know how to put indentations in ao3 that would be a _lifesaver_ )
> 
> Thanks for sticking around with this lazy-ass author! Once again, I don't plan on dropping his fic, I just.... take a long time to update. Appreciate any of you who are still reading this and I hope your lives are just nothing but fantastic until the next update!


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